


a simple touch.

by strawberrimilkk



Category: Free!
Genre: Angst, F/M, Falling In Love, Forbidden, Forbidden Love, Forests, Gen, Love, M/M, Mountains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-25
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-11 00:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,240
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28315905
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrimilkk/pseuds/strawberrimilkk
Summary: y/n has lived a long, lonely life. she/he/they wonder what it's like to live outside her/his/their boundaries. one day a little boy gets lost in the forest and y/n decides to help him back home. that little boy came back every summer despite y/n's warnings of how dangerous the forest could be. slowly, y/n grows found of kisumi and finally gets her/his/their happiness at last.
Relationships: Shigino Kisumi/Reader
Kudos: 1





	a simple touch.

despite every time you warned him that he would get lost, the little boy that got himself lost in the forest of spirits would always come back to visit you as each summer passes. your wariness slowly faded as you soon come to enjoy his visits every summer. it was nice seeing him grow up from that lost child to the fine young man. soon enough, you were about the same age. 

"is that your new uniform? you're now in high school, right?" you asked him as you saw him approach the entrance of the forest of spirits. you stood up from where you sat and hopped off the steps, walking around him to take a full look at his uniform. you were always curious about how life outside the boundaries of the forest was like. "look how handsome you look, kissme." 

"it's my last year." a bashful look appeared on his face as his eyes followed your movements. "i've changed a bit since the last time you've seen me."

"as for me, i haven't changed much since the day i found you," you commented before walking back up the steps. "come on." you beckoned him to follow you. 

he followed you up the steps, his long strides shortened the distance. "you never told me why that is." 

you strolled into the forest, looking up to gaze at the sun that peeked through the gaps between the trees. you reached up as if to touch something out of your grasp. he was right outside your grasp... "i suppose you're old enough to know now." you were quiet as you continued to walk through the forest. soft whispers of lingering spirits floated around you two, reminding kisumi of the one thing he mustn't do. 

please, kisumi. don't touch y/n...   
don't touch y/n, human...   
don't touch...

you ignored the reminders as you both wandered into a clearing, sitting down next to each other. you closed your eyes, feeling the warm summer breeze caress your hair. "do i look like a spirit, kissme?" you asked, slowly peeling your mask off your face. he shook his head as he watched you. you exhaled softly, a small smile played on your lips. "you see, i'm not a spirit, but... i'm no longer human. it seems like i was a human once. i was left by my parents here and the spirits told me that i wouldn't stop crying, as if to call back the parents that abandoned me..." you drifted off, flopping down into the soft grass. "i would've been dead, but the god of the mountain casted a spell on me that allowed me to continue living... so that i never move on. in other words... i'm like a ghost." you paused, watching the clouds freely float in the sky. something that you weren't able to do.

he was quiet as he laid down next to you, watching the clouds with you. from the corner of your eye, you could see his pink hair flutter in the wind. 

"hey, kissme... it's okay if you forget about me. a body maintained by magic alone is weak..." you continued on, raising your hand up to the sky again. you flexed your hand, watching your pale skin contrast against the bright blue sky. "if it touches a real human body... the spell will break and the body will disappear. my body's fragile..." you thought back to the close calls you've had in the past where you almost accidentally touched one another. 

"don't say that. time will one day separate us, but let's stay together, okay? don't forget about me," he said suddenly. "and I won't forget you." 

you quickly turned your head to look at the young man you grown fond of as he looked back at you with a smile. a blush crept up to your face as you turned your gaze up to the sky again. "hey, kisumi... there's a festival tonight. i've always wanted to invite you, but i thought you would be scared. now that you're old enough, i'd like for you to come with me. meet me at our spot at eight?"   


you led the way through the festival, fiddling with the sleeve of your yukata as you glanced behind you to see kisumi look around. "there have been rumors about humans mistakenly finding their way into the festival, but be careful. the majority of people here are spirits." you stopped and carefully pulled out a piece of cloth from your sleeve. "here, tie this to your wrist so you don't get lost." 

"this is like a date, isn't it?" kisumi commented casually as he tied one end of the cloth to his wrist while you tied the other end to yours. 

you blushed under the illuminating light of the hanging lanterns. "it is a date." 

from that point on, you both enjoyed the festival together as the moon smiled down at you both. you watched street performers dance to the sound of the drums, tasted snacks, you watched him admire the slight difference in cultures. your feelings for him only grew as you continued to spend the night together. but as your feelings of love grew, the feeling of longing also grew with them. by the time you had to bring him back, you were resolved with what you needed to do. you both fell into a comfortable conversation, replaying the events that happened again through your exchanged words. as the words died out, you walked together in silence, enjoying each other's company. 

"kisumi..." you called out into the night. "i... can't keep waiting for summer to come... when i'm away from you, i want to go see you." you were both quiet as your words faded into the darkness. you stopped walking and slowly took off your mask. he watched as you gently placed it on his face before leaning up to kiss his cheek. "that mask... have it, my gift to you." it was the mask that was given to me by the spirits on the day they found me. you slowly made your way to the entrance again, deep in thought. this'll be the last time... 

two children came running up from behind us, one almost tripping over his feet until you caught his arm. "be careful," you warned. kisumi leaned down and asked if the boy was alright. 

"yeah, thank you!" he replied. 

a sudden tingling sensation started at your fingertips, the place where you grabbed the child. you lifted your hand, watching as your fingers glowed then slowly dissipate into the night. 

"... y/n?" confusion laced in his words until he gasped at the realization. "was that boy a human?" 

you stared in shock as more of your fingers started to dissipate until another realization hit you. 

"y/n!" 

"kissme..." you took a step and wrapped yourself around him. "i can finally touch you."  
when the words finally processed, his arms engulfed your slowly fading body. you were finally able to feel his warmth, finally able to feel his heartbeat against you. you were finally happy. you were able to do the one thing you always wanted to do.

his choked sobs were carried away into the wind along with your reminiscent as he clutched onto the yukata you wore. 

i love you, kisumi... your voice echoed into the night. 

as if he could sense your feelings, he responded back, "i love you too..."

**Author's Note:**

> song: kimie okuru uta by mikinatsumi  
> originally posted: october 26, 2020


End file.
